SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
October 21, 2025
Sullivan’s Salvos 10/23/25
In this edition:
*Vote!
*Thank You Christopher Merrill!
*Rules of the Game?
*Local Government and Nonprofit Frustrations
*Did You Know?
*Vote!
Early voting has already begun! Please swing by the Auditor’s Office (walk in or drive through) or check out the Auditor’s website for more details.
This election is incredibly important! Vote, and be sure all your friends and family do the same!
*Thank You Christopher Merrill!
I recently learned that Christopher Merrill will be stepping down as the Director of the UI International Writing Program at the end of the year.
I got to know Chris when we were two of the original Board Members for the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature organization. It was Chris – more than anyone else – who is responsible for Iowa City’s designation as a UNESCO City of Literature. As a fellow Board Member, I primarily sat back in awe and thought, “This is an amazing human being.” I still feel that way today!
During his 25 years, the IWP has hosted over 1600 authors from over 160 countries. What a blessing to Iowa City and the whole world! Thank you, Chris!
*Rules of the Game?
There is much talk right now around the country as to whether or not Democrats are doing enough (or doing the right things) when it comes to fighting back against the lawlessness of Donald Trump. Nowhere is this argument more front of mind than the ongoing government shutdown.
Hey – I’m not going to sit here and pretend to have all the answers. I do not. But I do think it is worth mentioning the uneven playing field upon which Democrats are fighting.
What do I mean by this? First, Republicans in Congress do not mind breaking the law. Almost any law. Secondly, Republicans in Congress do not care if people get hurt.
Imagine a basketball game where one side is free to foul at will with no consequences. Seems pretty unfair, right? That is similar to the situation facing Democrats right now.
Don’t get me wrong – I definitely do not believe Democrats have done everything right. But I do believe we need to think about the ramifications of operating like the GOP.
*Local Government and Nonprofit Frustrations
I recently had a bit of a Facebook tiff (I know, I know!) with a friend. She was critical of local governments for failing to do more about childcare issues; critical of the cities for focusing Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) dollars on affordable housing; and critical of local human services agencies for – pretty much everything.
I was quite frustrated, and I sent the following response. It has been edited a tiny bit, mostly to protect her identity. But it explains many of the frustrations I feel.
Residents *dramatically* overestimate the ability of local governments to solve problems of this scale. Our abilities to tax and spend are limited by the State.
Look at it this way: the combined budgets of Johnson County, Iowa City, Coralville, and North Liberty are less than $500 million. That is everything, all in. Water, sewer, garbage, streets, everything. There are about 6,000 kids in Johnson County aged zero-kindergarten. (So this does not even include before and after school care, which is also operating in a state of crisis.)
Daycare is about $1500/month. $6000 x $1500 equals $9 million/month. Times 12 months is $108 million/year. That is more than 25% of all the tax revenue taken in in the whole county.
Want to adjust for incomes? 70% of parents have trouble paying for childcare. So drop the number by $32 million to $76 million/year. That is still over 15% of all the tax revenue collected in the whole county.
And you are only talking about childcare. While I acknowledge childcare is a critical issue, I *absolutely* rank it below health care, mental health, and affordable housing in terms of priorities.
So how you gonna reconcile that? We are short 10,000 units of affordable housing. That carries a price tag of about $2 billion - with a "B". Should we ignore that? You criticize cities for putting LOST toward affordable housing? It is a bigger concern!
Under current restraints, it would probably require a billion (there is that "B" again) to provide healthcare to the whole 160,000+ residents of Johnson County *every single year*. Want to adjust for inflation? Call it $500 million every year. Should we ignore that?
Mental health? Who the hell knows? I'm guessing we would need a solid $50-75 million annually. Should we ignore that?
Those are all bigger priorities, in my opinion. So add a couple billion each year to your $76 million per year, and we are getting close.
Oh, whoops! We didn't pay for anything else! That water, sewer, garbage, streets, etc. that I mentioned earlier? That is still close to $500 million/year. So we need to add that in.
So, for $3 billion per year, we can fix everything. But we don't have $3 billion per year. We have less than one sixth of that.
Local governments can move the needle on these issues. They should do what they can. And we do! But we cannot solve every problem. And candidates or electeds who disingenuously claim we *can* fix these problems should be called out for it! They are making promises they cannot keep!
Prevention? Of course we need to spend money on preventative services. We do this now. Do we need to spend more? Yes. But future and present needs often collide. The food banks cannot tell a person in need, “Sorry, we are spending money on prevention so future generations do not need this service.” That person needs food now!
Some problems are of a scope and scale that we require significant State help. Some are of such a scale and scope that we need significant Federal help. All of the abovementioned problems fit that mold.
I have been a voter for a long time. I have always voted for candidates who support addressing these issues. But you know what? They haven't won very often. When they have won, the opposition has been able to stop a lot of their progress. I am open to any ideas you have in terms of how to do this differently. I don't know what else to do, other than knock as many damned doors as I can.
See, this is my problem. Your post insinuates that all local elected officials are just lazy, stupid, evil, or some combination of those characteristics. And while there may be the occasional person who fits that bill, most local governments are busting their asses to serve the people of their communities. And they don't need this type of criticism; they need help! Come with workable solutions. Offer to help. Rather than inflame others in the public, educate them. If you come to me with an idea, I will listen. I promise!
As for the criticism of our local nonprofit sector - well, I simply do not know how you could be more incorrect. Most of our local agencies are staffed by people with *national* reputations for their subject matter expertise. They work incredibly hard for lower salaries and worse benefits than they could get in other sectors. Most get assessed by peers and/or accrediting bodies every few years; all of them come out of these assessments with rave reviews. We are so unbelievably lucky to have them in our community!
And frankly, it really pisses me off that you go after them. It is completely unwarranted. Come for elected officials all you want; I guess we signed up for it. But don't call out our nonprofit sector and expect me to sit back and fail to defend them! These are my heroes, and you owe them an apology.
Whew! That was the post. I should note – this does not help me in any way. It is much easier to not challenge this person. I’m certain she is now squarely against me, and will do whatever she can to ensure I lose this job. That is why you so rarely get anything but platitudes from elected officials. But I think it is critical to have real, fact-based discussions about issues. Salvos readers, I am curious as to your thoughts.
*DID YOU KNOW? The largest mass casualty event in Johnson County history was an 1859 tornado that killed at least 6 people.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 5:28 PM
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